“We prioritize this work because effective use of data can improve the access, quality, and experience of the services that children and families engage with every day.”
ACF and OPRE are committed to recognizing and harnessing the power of data to help achieve our mission. Using data efficiently and effectively in a way that supports and improves human services programs requires critical infrastructure, investment, and long-term vision. OPRE is proud to lead ACF’s new data strategy in partnership with ACF’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer and the Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary. The new strategy is an exciting expansion of OPRE’s leadership role in data at ACF and capitalizes on the fact that, when used effectively and strategically, data can:
- Help people and communities make better, more informed decisions,
- Lead to more informed policy,
- Allow for more proactive and safe delivery of public benefits and services,
- Improve human services’ efficiency and quality, and
- Help determine if programs and policies are having the intended positive effects.
This inaugural data strategy includes a dozen individual initiatives that fall into four categories: sustaining initiatives; one-stop shop initiatives; delivery initiatives; and technology initiatives.
Sustaining initiatives work towards helping build the foundational infrastructure that is necessary to help support and promote this culture of data. They include:
- Hiring ACF’s first ever Chief Data Officer within OPRE
- Creating a long-term funding and investment plan
- Establishing a Data Governance Council
One-stop shop initiatives are designed to help create centralized resources that support program offices in their use of data. They include:
- Creating a Data Talent Center to support hiring of strong and capable data talent
- Building an open data plan for ACF data
- Establishing a Privacy Policy Center
Delivery initiatives will help support the spread and advancement of the use of data at ACF. They include:
- Continuing use of the Data Surge Support Team, which is comprised of experts deployed to focus on discrete data challenges
- Conducting analytics campaigns to advance data-related priorities
- Releasing community-centered data tools and stories
Finally, technology initiatives provide the platforms and tools that are needed to make data more reliable and collaborative. They include:
- Providing tools and infrastructure for specific projects
- Launching customer relationship management tools that can be used across ACF
- Enhancing data operability standards to be used across multiple types of human services
Overall, these initiatives are all designed to work together towards one goal: ensuring that data is used across ACF in the most effective way possible so that ACF’s nearly 2,000 public servants, spread across over 60 programs and services across 22 offices, can all access and benefit from data insights towards advancing our mission. OPRE is excited to expand our work to build evidence by leveraging data for ACF to improve the lives of America’s children and families.